"Tony Verhulst" wrote in message
...

But reading RAS I got the impression that partnerships are not common
in the US (hence the interest of many US pilots in cheap - or shall I
say low-budget? - gliders). Is my impression correct?

A club member put it to me like this recently: "In this part of the
country (Northeast US) there are only a handful of truly great soaring
days per year. When those days arrive, you don't want to be sitting on
the ground while your partner flies".

Tony V.

Flying more on the not so great days might make one the greater pilot;^)